


Gathering

by meyari



Series: Hospitality [12]
Category: DCU - Comicverse, Smallville
Genre: Harems, Multi, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-08
Updated: 2011-06-08
Packaged: 2017-10-20 06:18:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/209664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meyari/pseuds/meyari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roy returns to Wayne Manor after another mission to run messages for Lord Oliver.  He's surprised to find people from home there and then surprised to get another chance to connect with Dick.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gathering

"I am so ready to stop running messages," Roy complained to one of the stable hands as he passed his horse over.

"Another message?" the boy said, blinking at Roy in surprise.

"Endless messages," Roy sighed. "Lord Oliver has a lot of ties with the Royal Archers. Unfortunately, he's not the one riding back and forth through the Narrows to carry them."

"Well, if you're looking to carry messages back to him," the boy said sympathetically while petting Roy's horse's nose, "I think they're all inside. The Amazons are here visiting."

From the way the boy's eyes went wide, he thought that the arrival of the Amazons were the most incredible thing that had ever happened at the Manor. Roy chuckled and patted the boy's shoulder before heading inside. The kitchen door was the closest one to the stables, so Roy headed inside there, taking the time to make sure his boots were clean and the dust of the journey through the Narrows was gone. The last thing he wanted to do was to upset Alfred. Privately, Roy was convinced that Alfred was the one who ruled Wayne Manor.

Finding out where everyone was gathered was easy enough. Alfred spotted him coming out of the kitchen and directed Roy to the Library. The little nod of approval at Roy's clean boots and riding pants made Roy want to beam happily but he kept the relief down to a slight bounce in his step. He was quite aware that his step was getting more pronounced as he approached the library just from the possibility that he might get to see Dick again.

It sort of bothered him how often he'd thought about Dick since the night he found Dick, Nightwing, wounded in an alley. There were dozens of other things that he needed to be worried about, not the least of which were his duties for Lord Oliver. Roy's job, his secret work as Red Arrow, the threats facing his Lord due to King Lionel's corruption, none of it had knocked Dick's bright smile and lithe form out of Roy's mind.

Still, it wasn't Dick that Roy scanned for when he entered the Library. As much as he'd like to spend more time with Dick, Roy had his duties to Lord Oliver and Dick belonged to Lord Bruce. His infatuation with the beautiful slave-hero was going to have to wait. Reporting to his lord took precedence over everything else.

The Amazons were just as impressive in more casual Grecian dresses as they had been in their armor at Court. Lord Bruce and Princess Diana were talking animatedly, Clark standing quietly by his master's side and Steve resting one hand on the small of Diana's back. The white veils covered Clark entirely but Roy could tell that Clark was amused about whatever they were discussing just from his body language. The other Wayne slaves were clustered together with the younger Amazons. It looked to Roy like Princess Donna was telling a story of some sort.

On the far side of the library was a sight that made Roy start and then frown. Conner was there, his hand resting gently on Mia's shoulder. They were talking quite seriously with Lord Bruce's healer, who talked with her hands as much as her mouth. From the gestures she was making it looked like there were levels of something that had to be dealt with. Roy could only hope that it was levels of improvement. None of them wanted Mia to succumb to the disease that she had been inflicted with before Lord Oliver and Dinah saved her.

"There he is," Roy murmured once he spotted a shimmer of gold amidst the dark shadows near Conner and Mia.

Lord Oliver was leaning against the wall in that shadow, Dinah by his side. Her topaz and gold collar was what he'd spotted. When he strode over, Dinah smiled and allowed Roy to press a gentle kiss against her black-veiled cheek. She left her hand on his arm, pulling him into the shadowy corner with Lord Oliver.

"Pass the message?" Lord Oliver asked in a very quiet undertone.

"Yes, sir," Roy replied in a similarly quiet tone. "They say that they'll be ready when the signal comes."

"Good," Lord Oliver grunted. His eyes were locked on Mia, Conner and Stephanie.

"Can she help?" Roy asked.

"We hope so," Dinah said when Lord Oliver didn't reply. "Stephanie thinks that there are things that can be done anyway. There's hope."

"As long as there's hope," Roy murmured.

Lord Oliver patted his shoulder and sighed, a sigh which Roy echoed. After everything that Mia had gone through, he truly hoped that Stephanie could help her. The girl deserved so much better than she had gotten from life.

A bright laugh captured Roy's attention, making him turn and stare. Dick was grinning and gesturing widely as he told a story to the fascinated younger Amazons. His wound looked much better, though he still had a huge bruise on his side where he'd been stabbed. From the way he laughed and talked you wouldn't have known that he'd been hurt. Even from across the room, Roy could see that the bruise was starting to turn yellow and green.

Soon Dick would have to face his public punishment for wandering. Roy looked away, unsure that he'd be able to handle watching that, especially given that Dick's 'failure' was supposed to have been because of him.

"Go and join them," Lord Oliver said.

"What?" Roy started and turned to stare at Lord Oliver. Both his eyes and Dinah's were amused and kind.

"Go on," Lord Oliver said. "You've done enough for today, Roy. Take a little time to relax and unwind. No playing with him, as I think Bruce might just demand your balls if you tried it but go ahead and join the young ones over there."

"Thank you, my Lord," Roy said, blushing a little.

He bowed and then headed across the room to join Dick and the others. As he went, he could feel Lord Bruce's eyes watching him. The wild desire to steal Dick away so that he wouldn't have to be punished swept over Roy again. Having seen Lord Bruce beat Jason, Roy really didn't think he could stand to watch Dick being beaten in the same way. Of course, it could be a completely different punishment, something worse.

"Hey!" Dick said so brightly that Roy couldn't hold onto his worries and fears. "You're back!"

"Just got done reporting in," Roy said. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I'm fine," Dick said so dismissively that Tim and Jason both groaned.

"No, you're not," Cassie huffed. "Even Diana could see that you should take it easy."

"You really should sit down," Princess Donna agreed. "I don't care how good your healer is here, that's a nasty wound."

Dick grumbled at them all but he still flung himself into one of the couches, arms crossed over his chest as he glared up at them. "Fine, I'm sitting. Happy now?"

"Yeah," Princess Donna said with a grin at him. "That's better."

Her eyes swept down between Dick's legs. Even though he had no right to, Roy stiffened at the blatant look. Princess Donna caught it and raised an eyebrow at him curiously. As Roy tried to figure out how to apologize and explain that he sort of had a thing for protecting slaves, Tim laughed. It was a surprisingly free laugh, especially given that he was still wrapped in bondage gear, though the chains had been taken off.

"He can't help himself, Princess Donna," Tim said with an entirely too knowing look at Roy. "I've noticed."

"What?" Jason asked.

"He protects every single slave he encounters as much as he's able to," Tim explained. "He did it for me at Court, for Dinah, for random slaves that happened to walk past him at court. It's quite odd."

"I just…"

Roy's cheeks and ears burned as they all looked at him. He had no idea how to finish the sentence so instead he just let it hang there and waved one hand while rubbing the back of his neck. From Cassie's expression, it was a trait that she found admirable. Jason looked amused, which, given how tough he was, made sense. Princess Donna on the other hand gave him a gentle-firm shove that gave Roy a hint of how much strength she held back on a normal basis, propelling him towards the couch.

"Then sit down and keep Dick from hurting himself," Princess Donna ordered. "I swear, he can't sit still to save his life."

"Literally," Jason drawled and then laughed when Dick protested wordlessly.

Roy looked at Lord Bruce for permission. To his surprise, Lord Bruce nodded and waved a hand to go ahead. Lord Oliver laughed from the other side of the library and waved his permission too, so Roy settled down next to Dick who promptly all but climbed into Roy's lap. In spite of himself, Roy laughed and hugged Dick gently.

"I don't think we're supposed to do more than cuddle," Roy told Dick.

"I'll take what I can get," Dick said so happily that it made the others grin at him. "Seriously, things have been way too boring in the harem lately. Clark's always been stuck on Lord Bruce and now Jason's stuck on Tim so there's no one for me to play with at all. It's a tragedy."

"He doesn't have any girls in the harem?" Cassie asked and then winced when Princess Donna gave her a pointed look.

"Lord Bruce doesn't respond to girls that way," Dick explained so seriously that Roy was surprised. "The only women I've ever seen that he liked were Lady Selina and a Lady Talia from overseas. And even then the relationships were… odd. Lady Talia's father is… trouble, so there's no possibility of anything there and Lady Selina would never give up her freedom to marry a man so they just tease each other."

Princess Donna looked at Dick as if he was insane. When she turned to Cassie, Cassie shrugged and made a gesture as if she didn't understand it either. Unfortunately, Roy had no idea what was confusing them or he would have done his best to explain for them.

"If you're wondering about the marriage thing," Tim asked and then smiled as both Cassie and Princess Donna nodded, "it's a new policy that King Lionel instituted. Instead of noble houses being able to marry and join their holdings, if a Lord and Lady of equal rank marry, then one has to give up their position. King Lionel then gets to put his chosen person as the Lord over that holding. He's… used that to expand his power base ever since he instituted the rule."

"I thought Amazons do the same thing," Roy commented. "From what Diana said in court."

"Oh no," Cassie said with a ferocious blush that didn't diminish her wicked grin. "That's sexually. Politically there are all sorts of ways to handle it. Its only when a man and an Amazon come together sexually that the Amazon always dominates. Steve seems to like it."

"Cassie!" Princess Donna huffed, her cheeks going nearly as red as Cassie's.

"What?" Cassie asked. "He does seem to like it. Heck, when Lord Hal was in here he looked like he'd be perfectly happy to have both of them dominate him."

"Lucky guy," Dick said in such a longing tone of voice that Roy had to hug him more tightly.

That set the others off into a rambling conversation about the differences between sexual arrangements for two Amazons, an Amazon and a free man, an Amazon and a female slave like Cassie and an Amazon and a male slave. Roy let the animated discussion wash over his head. Dick's arms had wrapped over the top of his arms as if he never wanted Roy to let him go.

"We really shouldn't cuddle like this," Roy murmured into Dick's ear. "You're not mine and you never will be."

"I know," Dick whispered back. His fingers tightened convulsively on Roy's arms. "But I'll take what I can get. I love being Lord Bruce's slave and this is my home but it is a little lonely right now."

"Mmm," Roy sighed.

They both looked up as the conversation paused. Conner was joining their group, Mia following behind him with a guardedly hopeful expression on her face. Roy smiled at her and Conner. Maybe more good would come from this than he'd thought. Either way, it was good to be among people his own age, and even better to be able to hold Dick for a little while.


End file.
